Electric starter for internal-combustion engines



1. R. MILLWARD.

ELECTRIC STARTER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FiLED mac. 24. 1911.

Patented J 11116 1, 1920.

ATTOR. EY

'INVENTOR '0 @135 who?) i 0. W1, qg 3.11 uh v (1. A. k W, State of blew a ed n "1T ,t-

MiQLMIC in win w followi 155 a fnh,

and

A 1 mg wherethree-3n automatis -ent with the in rly adaptautomobile eng s, and conte motor Willi! has a 1101- ed sliding armature, which an ,a -C21I'L"iS a member or toothed pinion which is movable with the armature into engagement with toothed ed with the inetnben connec dei to control the circuits in aecnl. nce with the paieition of the oonn ctor member, 1 provide switelvcontrollingdevice consisting: of eoaeting contact Hl'EFUh-xlffi having;- sliding? on wiping Contact with one anothey one oi said Contact men'lbers actuated by the armature movement and preieito so witch Whi 'l sivit a may be a ma by d the content motor thee" n"- and brought the pinion oairiried b3" neat-ed with the n-esaid switch controlling device is closed. and pern'iits t ie.

full current to flow from the batteny to the motor to cause the motor to act with full the disengagement of the pinion ii-om the toothed member driven by tho'engine.

In order that the invention may be more completely understoodl reference will now nice.

3 EERBEY, ASFSEGNGF TO THE DAYTON Jeane 1., 892g},

be made the accompanying cliagrannnatio (lea ing in which:

gure l-shows a preferi'ed embodiment invention, with the parts oi staytvice in disengaged position, 55 is a view of the same arrangement illd connector is in engaged position and the current on full.

and are cross-sectional views on the line TEL-X of 2, illustrating the po sitions of the contact when the motor drives the engine and .when the engine drives the motor i'espeetivel In the figure indicates the starting motor consisting: of an armature l. married on a shaft and havins the field poles l i, commutator 6 and the commutator brushes tel-ring; more particularly to Figs. 1

" Heat/inn filed and 2, the arnlatui'e is arranged to be dis 3) aceel under the notion of a i'etraetile spl'in r i0 confined beti's'e ll coil: 1' hel :zg nst the "frame f chei'eby and a collar 43 on one armature shaft The collar is i'otatively connected to the aunt," n'e snaft by a key fitted to a suitably elongated l(8 slot 44; in the shaft. Upon the collar, '7 lated therefrom, is supported a copper con tact ring 46 having a laterally extended contact *n'ojection on lip 48. Said ring 46 is arranged constantly to be engaged by the brush 1%. On the hub 19 oi" the pinion S, keyed on the end of the shaft, is a similar copper contact ring 50 having contact lip 51 projecting in a plane and toward the lip 48 to be in. overlying. engagement therewith when the pinion is in driving engagement as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the pinion 8 is keyed on the armature shaft 2 by a key 54 en the shaftfitted to an enlarged key slot 55 in the pinion hub .19. Byl'thls er.-

ence to the shaft 2 is permitted. Whilt the armature shaft is exerting a driving pressure on the gear 10, through the pinion, the

key 54 will assume a position'engaging at the forward end of the key slot 55, as shown in Fig. 3, and the contact lips 48 ant 51 are arranged then to be in radial alinement to complete the work circuit throiigh their respective rings 46 and 50 and brushes- However, on the acceleration of the gear 12, by starting of the engine, it will turn the pinion 8 with relation to the shaft 2 to the position shown in Fig. 4, moving the contact 51 circumferentially with relation to contact 48 whereby they are separated to break the circuit. The engagement of the key will then beat the rear of the slot Upon, the, motor circuit being so broken the spring 40 will force the pinion 8 out of engagement, likewise. moving the motor armature into the initial displaced position. Vih'en the motor is again energized by moving the switch S around to the starting position, of Fig. 4 the contacts 48 and 51 will again be brought into radial alinement 0 that they will make engagement when tl e pinion is. movedinto operative engagement.

To proin'ote'the introduction of the gears I have indicated an arrangement whereby the magnet initially will receive the full current to exert its maximum energy in shifting the pinion while less than the maximum current is passed through the motor armature'to reduce the rotative effort. This consists in a connection (M- from the battery connected t the field c'oils as shown to short circuit the armature. The connection (SO-60 is arranged to be broken at contacts 61-62 and the switch arm S carries an auxiliary arm 64 to close the circuit through the connection 60(S0 in the first position of arms. The magnetic pull is thus strengthened to insure of shifting the pinion in the first position of the switch arm while the armature. receives a reduced energizing current to reduce the rotative effort. ()n advancing the switchto the second position indicatedin Fig. 5, the circuits through connections 25 and (SO-450' are broken and with the pinion in proper engagement the armature will receive the full working current from the battery.

This application is a division of my United States application, Serial No. 801,850, filed November 19, 1913.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. In combination with an engine; a starting motor therefor including a normally decentered sliding armature; a connector memberconnected with said armature and movable with, said armature into engagement with the enginenand circuitclosing, means 1" said motor including brushand coacting contact members, one of .said members mechanically connected with the armature. M 2151*) combination with an engine; a starting motor therefor including a normally decentered sliding armature; a connector member connected with said armature and movable therewith into engagement with the engine; a battery; circuit connections between said battery and motor; a main switch for closing one of said circuits to initiate the connection of the motor with the engine; and circuit closing means for closing another connection to apply the full power of the motor to start the engine, including brush and coacting annular contact members, one of said members carried by and movable with the armature.

3. In combination with an engine; a 'starting motor therefor; a pinion carried by said motor and adapted for angular movement relative to said motor; a toothed member :onnected with the engine; means for bringing said pinion into mesh with said toothed member; a switch controlled by said pinion; and means for causing the actuation of said switch by the engine when the engine runs under its own power and prior to the disengagement. of said pinion from the toothed member.

4. In combination with an engine; a starting motor therefor; a battery; circuit connections between said battery and said motor including a switch; a pinion connected with said motor; a toothed member carried by the engine; means for bringing said pin.- ion into engagement with said toothed mem her; and means for actuating said switch under power of the engine after the engine has started running andprior to the disengagement of said pinion from said toothed member.

5. In combination with an engine; a starting motor therefor; a battery; a gear carried by the engine; a pinion; means connecting the pinion and motor and adapted to permit a certain movement of the pinion independent of the motor when the gear begins to drive the pinion; means for bringing the pinion into engagement with the gear;'.and circuit connections between the battery and motor including a switch having means actuated by said pinion during said independent movement thereof for open ing said switch after the engine has started running and prior to the disengagement of said pinion from said gear.

6. In' combination with an engine; a starting motor therefor; a battery; normally disconnected driving connections for connecting the'motor and engine;means for connecting together. said driving connections; circuit connections between the motor and battery including a switch having provisions actuated to complete the circuit when the motor and engine are connected, said driving connections having means for effect ing the disconnection of said switch provinecting devices operative; said mechanical devices and electrical devices having cooperating provisions for effecting the disconnection of said electrical devices after the engine has started running and prior to the disengagement of said mechanical connecting devices. g

8. In'combination with an engine;astarting motor therefor having a normally tie centered armature. normally disconnected mechanical connecting devices between the engine and motor; normally disconnected electrical connecting devices between the motor and battery; aneans for causing the motor magnets to be energized to center the motor armature whereby to render operative said mechanical and electrical. devices;

said mechanical devices and electrical devices havingcooperating provisions for eliecting the disconnection of the electrical devices after the engine has started running and prior to the disengagement of said mechanival connecting devices.

v 9. In combination with an engine; a starting motor therefor having a normally decentered armature; a gear carried by the engine; a pinion carried by the armature shaft; connections between said pinion and said shaft providing a certa n angular movement of said pinion relative to said said pinion to engage said gear and said switch contacts to into engagement;

salt switch contacts being arranged so as to be in engagement when the motor is driving the or me. but to be moved out of engagement by virtue of the said driving con-- nection between the pinion and shaft as soon as the engine drives the motor.

10. in combination with an engine; a

starting motor therefor having a normally decentered armature; a gear carried by the engine; a pinion carried by the armature shaft: connections between the said pinion and shaft including a key mounted in the shaft and a key-slot pro-- vided in the pinion, saidkey'slot being wider 1 than the key whereby to provide a certain angular movement of said pinion relative to said shaft; a battery; a circuit between the battery and motor including a switch con tact carried by said pinion and a switch contact having'a splined connection with said shaft manually controlled means for efliecting the centeringoi the armature and the initial rotation of the armature whereby to cause said pinion to engage said gear and said switch contacts to come into engagement; said switch contacts being arranged so as to be in engagement when the motor is driving the engine but to be moved out of engagement by virtue of the said driving connection between the pinion and sham as soon as the engine drives the motor.

signature.

in testimony wl'iereof I atlia my JQHN EOSCQE tHL-LWARD.

ill 

